FIG. 1 depicts a side view of portion of a conventional energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drive 10. FIG. 1 is not to scale. The conventional EAMR disk drive 10 includes a recording media 12, a conventional slider 20, and a conventional laser diode 30 that are typically attached to a suspension (not shown). The conventional slider 20 has a leading edge 22, a trailing edge 26, and a back side 24. Although termed “edges”, the leading edge 22 and trailing edge 26 are surfaces of the slider 20. The leading edge 22 and trailing edge 26 are so termed because of the direction the conventional media 12 travels with respect to the EAMR transducer 28. Other components that may be part of the conventional EAMR disk drive 10 are not shown. The conventional slider 20 is typically attached to the suspension at its back side 24. A conventional EAMR transducer 28 is coupled with the slider 20.
The laser diode 30 is typically mounted on a conventional submount 32. The laser diode 30 and conventional submount 32 are coupled in proximity to the EAMR transducer 28 on the back side 24 of the slider 20. The conventional submount 32 is typically SiC, which is a high thermal conductivity insulator. The conventional submount may thus act as a heat sink for the laser diode 30. The conventional submount 32 may also have bond pads (not shown) and electrical traces (not shown). Thus, the conventional submount 32 is typically also desired to provide electrical and thermal connection as well as mechanical support to the laser diode 30.
In operation, light from the conventional laser diode 30 is provided to the EAMR transducer 28. More specifically, light from the laser diode 30 is provided to a waveguide (not shown) of conventional EAMR transducer 28. The waveguide directs the light toward the conventional media 12, heating a small region of the conventional media 12. The conventional EAMR transducer 28 magnetically writes to the conventional media 12 in the region the conventional media 12 is heated.
FIG. 2 depicts a conventional method 50 for mounting the laser diode 20 on the conventional EAMR disk drive 10. For simplicity, only a portion of the method 50 is described. The conventional submount 32 is prepared from a SiC substrate. Electrical traces for the submounts on the SiC substrate are provided, via step 52. The SiC substrate is lapped to reduce the thickness of the substrate, via step 54. The SiC substrate is then diced into the individual conventional submounts 32, via step 56. The faces of the substrate correspond to the faces of the submount to which the laser diode 30 is coupled. The laser 30 is affixed to the submount, via step 58. The laser diode 30 and conventional submount 32 are then mounted to the slider 20, via step 60. Fabrication of the conventional EAMR disk drive 10 may then be completed.
Although the conventional EAMR disk drive 10 and method 50 may function, improvements are desired. More specifically, properly aligning and coupling the laser diode 30 to the slider 20 and conventional submount 32 may be problematic. The sidewalls of the conventional submount 32 may be rough and chipped due to dicing. As a result, proper alignment of the conventional submount 32 to the slider 20 may be challenging. This may affect alignment of the laser diode 30, which is affixed to the conventional submount 32. For example the laser diode 30 may be tilted from vertical or otherwise misaligned as is shown in FIG. 1. The lapped surface of the conventional submount 32 may also be rounded, which is undesirable. The back surface of the conventional submount 32 shows such rounding in FIG. 1. Further, the electrical traces on the submount 32 may be misaligned. Thus, proper alignment of the laser diode 30 may be challenging. Such misalignments may adversely affect performance of the conventional EAMR disk drive 10.
Accordingly, improved methods and systems for coupling lasers with the slider in EAMR disk drives are desired.